Job Board Title:
Executive Director, Housing Development Office

Post Date
1/20/2025

Expiration Date
2/19/2025

Details:
Toronto is Canada’s leading economic engine and one of the world’s most diverse and livable cities. As the fourth largest city in North America, Toronto is home to more than 3 million residents whose diversity and experiences strengthen our great city. A global centre for business, finance, technology, arts, culture, and innovation, Toronto consistently places at the top of international rankings due in part to investments championed by residents and businesses, and in turn, led by Toronto City Council and carried out through the work of the Toronto Public Service.
 
HOUSING DEVELOPMENT OFFICE

As Toronto continues to face an unprecedented housing affordability crisis across the housing continuum, the City has established a new Housing Development Office that will bring a singular focus to City-led and City-supported housing development, and strengthen coordination between the City, CreateTO and Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) to achieve the City's housing goals with priority to affordable housing.
 
Reporting to the Deputy City Manager, Development and Growth Services, the newly-established role of Executive Director of the Housing Development Office will oversee the consolidated list of all housing development projects, the consolidated housing capital plan and budget including investments in City-led projects (including through TCHC, CreateTO, and City-supported projects), and will ensure the City and City Council continue to have full visibility on all projects and investments across the entire housing portfolio. More specifically, this new Office will:

  • Ensure coordination of the development of all City-led housing sites (sites owned and/or overseen by the City, as well as its agencies, and corporations) and City-supported housing sites (sites owned by Indigenous, non-profit, and co-operative housing organizations);
  • Focus on monitoring activities at each stage gate and 'unsticking' projects by working with other divisions in Development and Growth Services to resolve issues and hurdles that prevent projects from advancing through development and permitting approvals quickly;
  • Conduct an ongoing review of the City-led and supported housing project pipeline to strategically sequence projects and harvest new or emerging housing opportunities;
  • Establish and maintain a consistent delivery framework, including common methodologies for financial modelling, site due diligence and investment approvals;
  • Ensure more seamless transitions between the City and its housing delivery partners, for example, where a City partner may lead the early phases of a project and then transfer responsibility to the City or another partner when the site is ready to be taken to market;
  • Implement new tools to enable improved transparency and reporting of progress across all City Divisions, Agencies and Corporations involved in the delivery of housing;
  • Identify the appropriate delivery models for City-owned sites, whether that be City-led or led by one of the City's delivery partners, CreateTO or TCHC; and
  • Take on additional functions and contracting arrangements to enable faster affordable housing delivery. 
By optimizing expertise and resources across teams, strengthening coordination, and streamlining process and systems, the Executive Director will effectively advance the City-led approach to delivering and expediting housing projects that benefit all citizens of Toronto. The Executive Director, Housing Development Office will oversee a team of approximately 10-15 people, and is an in-person role.
 

Qualifications:
The ideal candidate will demonstrate the following experience, knowledge, skills and attributes:
  • Demonstrated track record of experience successfully completing housing construction projects;
  • Experience in residential land development, understanding the life cycle, proforma budgets and ideally government financing;
  • Builds, leads, manages and mentors a high-performing team;
  • Ability to take initiative, problem solve, and negotiate with a strong sense of urgency and follow-up to action multiple projects through to completion;
  • Exceptional project management and process improvement skills to prioritize projects (including key performance indicators) and oversee the execution of all phases of multiple projects;
  • Strong problem resolution skills; ability to identify, monitor and manage project issues and risks;
  • Excellent collaboration skills and ability to work with cross-functional teams and business units across multiple departments;
  • Excellent communication, internal and external stakeholder liaison and relationship skills;
  • Strong political acuity; and
  • Ability to drive win-win decisions and outcomes, with commitment and accountability to timelines and deadlines. 

 

Comments:
The City of Toronto is committed to employment equity and encourages applications from Aboriginal people, people with disabilities, members of visible minority groups and women. The City of Toronto strives to build an inclusive society and provide an accessible environment in which all individuals have access to the City’s services and programs in a way that respects the dignity and independence of people with disabilities.
 
Should you require accommodation to participate as a candidate in the hiring process, please communicate your needs to the LHH Knightsbridge project team.
 
CONTACT INFORMATION
If you are interested in being considered for this exciting and impactful senior leadership position, please forward your cover letter and resume to Chris Sawyer at chris.sawyer@lhhknightsbridge.com by February 19, 2025.


Employer:
City of Toronto
Contact:
Chris Sawyer

Email:
chris.sawyer@lhhknightsbridge.com

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